My Little Pony- Be Somepony Else
by Tang Ri Shan
Summary: After Diamond Tiara loses the class election to Pipsqueak, Silver Spoon turns her back on her, and her own mother yells at her, she wishes she could become somepony else. But what lesson will she learn when a mysterious unicorn offers her a way to fulfill her wish? I do not own My Little Pony or anything tied to them.
1. Chapter 1

Tang Ri Shan

 **Be Somepony Else**

 **(Inspired by the songs sung during the Crusaders of the Lost Mark Episode, this story follows the same plot)**

 **CH 1**

Diamond Tiara stood there, stunned, as her mother turned and trotted away with her nose in the air. Then she slowly turned and walked in the opposite direction, her head held low under the crushing weight of one single thought, a thought that seemed to dominate her mind. _I'm a loser!_

Diamond felt a tear come to her eye, and then a flash caught her attention. Glancing up, she saw a large diamond winking back at her in the display window of a store. The diamond seemed to catch the rays of the sun and shimmered like a star. Normally, such a sight would fill Diamond Tiara with happiness, but now, as she gazed at the stone, she only felt worse. Instead of feeling hard and strong, she felt frail and brittle. Her mouth opened, and before she knew it, she was singing.

" _If I'm a diamond then why do I feel so rough?_

 _I'm as strong as a stone, even that's not enough"_ She kicked a small stone out of her way as she began to walk away from the store.

" _There's something jagged in me, and I've made such mistakes_

 _I thought that diamonds were hard, but I feel I could break"_

Diamond could feel more tears come to her eyes and she broke into a run. Hearing hoofbeats behind her, she glanced back and saw the Cutie Mark Crusaders following her. Gritting her teeth, Diamond Tiara sped up, her grief adding to her speed. Ignoring the Crusader's cries for her to stop, she left them in the dust and didn't stop running until she reached the bridge on the outskirts of town. As she slowed down, she passed an adult stallion and young filly whose names she didn't know walking in the other direction, talking about something. As Diamond watched, the filly giggled while the stallion looked a little embarrassed. Then finally, as they walked away, they both burst out laughing. Seeing this, Diamond felt something cold clutch her heart, a feeling she was all too familiar with, a feeling that made tears come to her eyes…loneliness.

" _Would you believe, that I've always wished I could be somepony else?_

 _Yet I can't see, what I need to do to be the pony I wanna be"_ She sang, leaning over the edge of the bridge, staring at her reflection in the river below. One by one, her silent tears fell onto the lake, their rippled breaking her reflection on the surface of the water.

"Have you seen Diamond Tiara anywhere?" Diamond glanced up at the sound of her name. Through her tear-filled eyes, she saw the Crusaders speaking with the filly and stallion that had passed her earlier.

"Diamond Tiara, yeah we saw her. She's right over…" The stallion pointed with a hoof to the bridge, but stopped when he saw that there was nopony there. "Well, she _was_ right over there."

"Where did she go?" The filly asked, glancing around.

Diamond fled, fear and rage making her run effortlessly. Her tears were flowing freely now, whipping behind her as she ran. She went faster, even though her eyes were so blurry she could barely see where she was going. As she ran, her thoughts tumbled through her head like autumn leaves caught in a brisk wind. Why were the Crusaders looking for her? Probably they wanted to rub it in her face about losing to Pipsqueak. That was just like something those blank flanks would do! Her mother had always told her…

Diamond felt her pace begin to slow as a fresh pang of grief cut through her like a claw. Her head seemed to bend down without her thinking about it. She closed her eyes, but she could not stop the images that flooded into her mind and she started to sing again.

" _I've been told my whole life what to do, what to say_

 _No pony showed me there might be some better way_

 _And now I feel like I'm lost, I don't know what to do._

 _The ground is sinking away, I'm about to fall through._

 _Would you believe, that I've always wished I could be somepony else?_

 _But I can't see what I need to do to be the pony I wanna be"_

By this point, Diamond could not hear any noises around her and guessed that she was beyond the town outskirts now. A small spark of fear sprang up, reminding her that she had never been this far out of town on her own before, but she didn't care. She'd rather be out here and alone then back there, where she was expected to act like some pony she really didn't want to be.

" _To be the pony I wanna be"_ She repeated as she finally gave in to the pleas of her exhausted muscles. She stopped running, lay down right there, and began to sob freely, her cries the only noise she could hear.

After what felt like hours, her tears finally seemed to dry up, so she just lay there where she had fallen, too sad and lonely to bother get up.

"Do you feel better?" A soft, soothing female voice spoke up, Diamond flinched, feeling a tad embarrassed that somepony had noticed her crying, but she didn't care.

"A little" She admitted, sniffling sadly. As if in response, she suddenly felt a comforting feeling come over her, like someone had wrapped a warm blanket around her. Diamond shuddered in the warmth and gave a happy sigh as she felt her grief and despair suddenly drain away. She felt safe, protected, like a little carefree filly again. "Thank you" she gasped, raising her neck to enjoy the warm feeling.

"You're welcome. But please tell me, why were you sobbing so much?" The voice asked, and it seemed to tickle Diamond's ear.

Diamond frowned and lowered her head to the ground again. "Because I don't know what I am any more" She confessed. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she was confessing her feelings to what could be a complete stranger, but she felt so comfortable right now that she didn't really bother opening her eyes to see who it was.

"Really?" The voice sounded confused. "Well, you look like a very pretty, but very lonely, little pony to me"

Diamond felt a smile flicker across her face. "That's pretty much what I think too"

"But then, that means you _do_ know what you are, so why are you saying you _don't_ know what you are?" The voice asked.

"I…" Diamond tried to think of a good answer, but the warm feeling of comfort was distracting her. "It's…complicated"

"It doesn't seem very complicated to me." The voice chuckled, as if finding her answer humorous.

"Well, what do _you_ know?" Diamond bristled, raising her head and glared at the hooded figure that was standing over her. "Who are you anyway?"

"Apologies, the figure bowed her head and her hood was suddenly surrounded by a silver aura, pulling it down, revealing the face of a silver-coated unicorn with a jet black mane. "My name is Quicksilver. What's your name?" The unicorn smiled in a disarming kind of way.

"I'm Diamond Tiara" Diamond replied snootily.

"Diamond Tiara" Quicksilver repeated, smiling. "That is a beautiful name"

As she spoke, Diamond felt her grief and anger suddenly return. Not as powerful as before, but it was enough that she could no longer smile. "No it's not! It's ugly! I hate it!" She cried out, glancing down. "And I hate this too!" She glared at her cutie mark, wishing it could just fall off.

"Hate it?" Quicksilver raised an eyebrow. "But why would you hate your own name and cutie mark? They make you who you are!"

"No they don't!" Diamond snapped, feeling her grief turn to anger. "In Ponyville, Diamond Tiara is a mean, snobbish pony that teases everypony else, because she was taught that she was better than others because she came from a rich family. This cutie mark made her think that her special talent was to get other ponies to do what she wanted them to do, and so she used trickery and deception to make them do what she wanted. But then she failed at something…and because of that, everypony turned their back on her! Even her own family doesn't want her anymore!" Diamond felt her chest heave as sobs fought their way up from her heart to her mouth.

"And you're saying you're not Diamond Tiara?" Quicksilver asked, still looking confused.

"Yes! I mean, No! I…I don't know anymore!" Diamond wailed in despair before collapsing on the ground, tears freely flowing once again.

"Please forgive me" Quicksilver's horn flared with silver magic and Diamond suddenly felt a surge of comforting warmth that drowned out the sobs in her throat. She felt the unicorn's muzzle brush against her own and she instantly felt better. "I didn't mean to ask such a painful question. Tell me, I heard a pony singing a beautiful song earlier, about wishing they could be somepony else, was that pony you?"

"Y-yes" Diamond admitted, feeling a stray tear travel down her face. Quicksilver smiled at her and Diamond felt the feeling of warmth and comfort increase. As she basked in the feeling, the unicorn's face turned into a thoughtful frown.

"I know it's probably none of my business, but I would like to hear exactly how this all happened. Could you tell me?" She asked, levitating a lace handkerchief out from a pocket of her cloak.

"It's a long story" Diamond sniffed, glancing up at her. "Are you sure you want to hear it?"

Quicksilver smiled and sat down next to her. "I have nowhere to be" She answered "And I love listening to stories".

And so, Diamond Tiara told her, she told her everything, about how bad she had been, how she had picked on, and blackmailed, other ponies like the Cutie Mark Crusaders for not having their own cutie marks, or to improve her own popularity and social setting. She even told Quicksilver how she had molded Babs Seed into a bully, and 'convinced' her to pick on her cousin. And as Diamond kept talking, she noticed something, though it was painful at first to talk about all the bad things she had done, once she had, she felt better, lots better. It was like some invisible weight that she never knew she had been carrying was lifted away from her. It still hurt, sometimes so much she felt like crying again, but she kept talking.

"And finally, only this morning I bullied Silver Spoon, the only pony I ever truly considered to be my friend, just to win some stupid class election. But I didn't even win it!" Diamond felt a fresh stab of pain flood through her heart. "And when I lost, my best friend turned her back on me, and my own mother yelled at me!" Diamond felt tears come to her eyes again. "She's always yelled at me, no matter what I try, it's never good enough for her!" Diamond broke down crying again. Quicksilver didn't say anything; she just covered Diamond in a silvery cloud of magic, closed her eyes, and waited. A few minutes later, Diamond's sobs faded and she glanced up, her eyes moist and her face tear-streaked.

"What about your father? Has _he_ yelled at you?" Quicksilver asked.

Diamond thought for a moment. "No, but I guess that's usually because he's never around to do that. He puts a lot of his time into his work"

Quicksilver frowned. "So, basically you have a mother who yells at you, and a father who usually ignores you. Well, I can certainly see why you would feel broken"

"Broken?" Diamond repeated with a gasp, leaping to her hooves, her muzzle sticking up in the air. "I'm not broken! I am a Diamond, and that means I can never break! No matter what happens to me, I stand tall and shine!" Then she suddenly seemed to deflate. "Even if I have to do it by myself from now on" She mused.

For a few seconds Quicksilver seemed frozen, and then she slowly smiled. "So don't" She said

"What?" Diamond glanced up at her.

"Don't go through this alone. I think that even though you have your cutie mark, you still haven't fully realized what it means. And you are just now starting to see your mark in a new way." Quicksilver repeated; her smile widening. "You said you wanted to change, right? Well, this is the perfect time to show everypony that you _can_ change. Go back and renew your friendship and make some new friends too."

"Are you crazy?" Diamond shook her head. "I told you, they'll never believe I can change. They look at me, and all they'll see is a snobbish bully. Even my best friend wants nothing to do with me! There's no way anypony'll _ever_ accept that I've changed!"

Quicksilver's smile was now so wide that it was starting to freak Diamond out. "I _might_ know of one way"

"Huh?" Diamond cocked her head.

"I'm a master of illusionary magic" Quicksilver explained. "And I've been studying a new glamour spell, one that can change a pony's appearance completely"

Diamond gasped and her eyes widened. "Y-you mean…?"

Quicksilver nodded. "If you truly want to become somepony else, then I can help make that happen"

Diamond squealed with happiness and embraced the unicorn in a hug. "Oh Thank You! Thank you!" When she broke away, she was practically bouncing up and down like Pinkie Pie. "Oh! Oh! I can't wait to see what I'll look like!"

"Woah there!" Quicksilver chuckled at the filly's enthusiasm. "I can't cast the spell now!"

Diamond froze mid-bounce. "What? Why not?"

"Such a spell requires time to prepare" Quicksilver explained. "Plus, I still think you can solve this matter on your own, without my help. Tell you what, why don't you think about it for a while? Sleep on it, then, if you would still like me to perform the spell, meet me at the town hall before school tomorrow morning and I'll cast it then, deal?" Quicksilver held out a hoof and Diamond eagerly shook it. Then Quicksilver suddenly frowned and glanced up at the sky. "It sure gets dark early around here, doesn't it?" She asked aloud.

Diamond gasped as she glanced up and saw moon had already risen. "Oh no! It's so late! My parents are going to kill me!" Without hesitating, she turned and crashed through the brush back to the road.

"Bye!" She heard Quicksilver's call, but when she glanced behind her, the silvery unicorn was gone.

* * *

 **This story was inspired by the MLP episode. I watched it last weekend and just suddenly had the urge to start writing. Hope you all enjoy it. Next chapter, prepare to find out what happens the following morning!**


	2. Chapter 2

Tang Ri Shan

 **Be Somepony Else**

 **(Inspired by the songs sung during the Crusaders of the Lost Mark Episode, this story follows the same plot)**

 **CH 2**

Diamond took a deep breath as she stepped out her front door the next morning. Her ears were still partially ringing from the scolding she had gotten last night for coming back so late. Her mother's words had a way of cutting deeper than a sword did. Her father had been kinder, giving her a hug and telling her how worried he had been, but she noticed he did nothing to stop her mother's ranting, which did not make her feel much better.

However, a good night's sleep had given her time to think about Quicksilver's idea, and she was even more excited now. She desperately wanted to renew her friendship with Silver Spoon, and maybe even strike up some new friendships, maybe with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or maybe with Twist. That filly _did_ know how to make tasty sweets.

"But making friendships is easy, _keeping_ them is the challenge" Diamond reminded herself as she crossed the bridge and began following the road that lead to the town square. "What if this glamour spell doesn't work, or it fails at an inopportune moment? Everypony might just think I'm trying to trick them. And they'll hate me even more" Diamond paused, feeling doubt creep into her mind. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

 _Oh stop it!_ Diamond scolded herself, shaking the doubts form her head. _Don't start thinking like that! This is your chance to be somepony else! A chance to get away from the image of Diamond Tiara! You've wished for this, and you might as well see it through!_ But Diamond still felt nervous as she entered the town square and glanced around for Quicksilver. There was no sign of the silver unicorn, but Diamond was surprised to see Silver Spoon emerge from the bakery across the street in the company of Snips and Snails. As Diamond watched, Silver laughed at something Snails said as she munched a doughnut, and Diamond felt her heart sink. _Has Silver Spoon moved on that easily?_ She wondered, before suddenly accelerating. "Silver Spoon, wait!" She called out as she raced towards them.

Silver Spoon froze, then glanced around, when she saw Diamond, her eyes widened in alarm, then narrowed in hostility. "What do _you_ want?" She hissed as Diamond caught up with them.

"Silver, please. I need you to listen to me. I…" Diamond started, but was cut off when Silver placed a hoof over her mouth.

"Sorry, but since I'm not allowed to speak, I probably shouldn't be allowed to listen either". She snapped, before trotting off with her nose in the air. "Come on boys!" She called back to Snips and Snails, who turned and followed her without saying a word.

"Silver, please! We need to talk!" Diamond called after her.

But Silver just tossed her head. "I've got nothing to say to you, Diamond!" She called over her shoulder and broke into a gallop, Snips and Snails right behind her, leaving Diamond standing in the middle of the road.

Diamond Tiara watched as her best friend in all of Equestria ran away from her, and felt heartbroken. Tears rise in her eyes and she seemed powerless to stop them. She bowed her head and whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry"

"You had to try" Diamond heard a voice say next to her and glanced up to see a silver unicorn with a black mane staring at Silver Spoon's retreating figure.

"Quicksilver!" She gasped. The unicorn glanced down at her and smiled.

"You couldn't know for sure your friend wouldn't accept you back until you tried to make amends" Quicksilver soothed, placing a hoof around Diamond's shoulders.

"But you saw what happened! She wouldn't even talk to me! She's already moved on" Diamond's ears drooped as she spoke.

"You don't know that" Quicksilver argued. "Maybe she feels bad too, but just doesn't know how to express it. Maybe, deep down, she misses you too"

"That's why I need your glamour spell" Diamond grabbed Quicksilver's hoof. "Please, please, please tell me you have it ready!"

Quicksilver gazed into Diamond's tear-filled eyes, and eventually nodded. "The spell is ready" Over Diamond's cheering, she added. "But are you sure there isn't any other way to find the answers you want?"

Diamond shook her head. "You saw what happened between me and Silver Spoon. It'll be worse with the others. It's better for everypony if Diamond Tiara…goes away for a little while." She spoke with a level of firmness in her voice that surprised even her.

Quicksilver hesitated, as if trying to come up with another argument, but finally sighed and motioned for Diamond to follow her. The two ponies left the road and trotted into a darkened alley. "Hopefully no pony will see us here" Quicksilver lowered her voice as she used her magi to open a satchel she was carrying, and then levitated something out of it, a small black necklace with a small white crystal in the front.

"What's that?" Diamond asked.

"This is a glamour charm." Quicksilver explained as she levitated the charm over to Diamond. "The magic within it powers the spell. As long as you are wearing it, no pony will recognize you."

"Wow, thank you so much" Diamond Tiara squeaked and started to put the necklace on, but Quicksilver stopped her.

"Remember, if you remove the charm the spell will wear off. And you can only use the charm once. It won't work a second time." She warned.

"Don't worry, I'll remember" Diamond Tiara promised as she slipped the necklace over her head. As soon as the crystal was around her neck, it began to glow. Diamond closed her eyes as the light got brighter, then the light dimmed and faded. Diamond waited, but nothing else happened. She opened her eyes and glanced up to see Quicksilver looking her over. She nodded, seeming satisfied. "Did it work?" Diamond asked, than froze as she heard a different voice come out of her mouth.

Quicksilver didn't answer right away, but her smile widened and she gestured to a nearby window. Diamond walked up to the glass, and her jaw dropped. Staring back at her was a filly with a coat as blue as the ocean with a mane as white as the clouds with a streak of purple running down the center. Her eyes were now deep amber, and her cutie mark had changed from a fancy tiara a simple small crown symbol with three points. "Wow" Diamond gasped, touching her face with her hoof. "This is amazing!"

"I think it's a good look" Quicksilver smiled from behind her before she used her magic to pull a note from her saddlebag and holding it out. "Give this note to your teacher. Now you'd better get going or you'll be late." As soon as she spoke, a very familiar ringing reached Diamond's ears. The school bell!

"Oh no!" Diamond grabbed the note and began racing back towards the road. Suddenly she realized that she should thank Quicksilver, so she skidded to a halt, but when she turned around, the alley was empty. Diamond glanced around every which way, but the unicorn was gone. "Thank You!" Diamond called through her clenched teeth, as she glanced around the alleyway one last time before turning and racing towards the school building.

A few minutes, later, Diamond knocked on the school building door. As she waited for someone to answer, she took a deep breath to calm herself. _Okay Diamond, this is it! You've only got one shot at this, so make it count! But…but what if I only make things worse?_ _What If my charm fails at the wrong time? What if I say something, and somepony figures out who I am?_ Diamond shook her head again, trying to clear her mind. _No, don't start thinking that way! You've come too far to turn back now!_

Just then, her inner conflict was interrupted as the classroom door opened and Miss Cheerilee's face appeared in the opening. Seeing Diamond standing there, she looked confused. "Hello there, can I help you?"

Diamond nodded and handed her the note. As Miss Cheerilee read it, her confused from slowly melted into a friendly smile, and Diamond felt some of her nerve begin to leave her. "I see. Come in, please!" She led Diamond inside and to the front of the classroom. Clearing her throat, she announced. "Attention everypony! I want you all to meet Crystal Crown!" Diamond fought the urge to gasp in disbelief. _That_ was her new name? "Crystal's family is visiting Ponyville, and her parents have asked to for her to join our class for the day, so I would like everypony to make her feel welcome. Now say hi, everypony!"

"Hi Crystal!" The fillies chorused together, all staring at Diamond with big, friendly smiles on their faces.

"H-hi everypony" Diamond replied, trying to look like she had no clue who anypony was. "It's…nice to meet all of you" She stammered, giving a small smile as a few fillies giggled in reply.

"There's an empty seat next to Sweetie Bell, Crystal" Miss Cheerilee observed, pointing with a hoof to the white unicorn filly smiling widely in the second to last row, her eyes shining. She raised her own hoof and waved it wildly in the air. Fighting the urge to snigger, Diamond made her way through the desks, feeling the eyes of everypony on her as she took her seat, but there was no hostility on their looks, only friendliness and curiosity.

"Hi. I'm Sweetie Bell" The unicorn whispered as soon as Diamond had sat down next to her "And these are my friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo" She motioned to the pale yellow earth pony and orange Pegasus gazing back at them from the row in front of theirs.

"It's an honor ta meet ya" Applebloom smiled at them

"Welcome to Ponyville" Scootaloo winked at her.

Diamond wanted to snap that she already knew who they fillies were, but she remembered that was something Diamond Tiara would do, so she gave a small smile and simply said, "Thank you"

"So, where are you from?" Scootaloo asked eagerly.

"Oh, I'm…uh…" Diamond's mind raced as she struggled to come up with a convincing answer, but just then Cheerilee tapped her hoof on her desk and announced that they would be beginning their lesson on weather patterns. As the lesson got under way, Diamond sneaked a glance at Silver Spoon and saw that she was glancing at the desk where Diamond usually sat at, which was empty, frowning in a confused sort of way.

 _Well, that was…different._ Diamond admitted later as she left the schoolhouse after the bell rang. She had expected ponies to treat her differently because of her new look, but she hadn't expected everypony to be _so nice_ to her. They'd helped her with all her school problems, shown her where everything was, they'd even shared their lunches with her when they learned she didn't have one of her own, and they had all wanted to talk with her on the playground, which had been wrecked by Tirek's attack, so there was not much to do _except_ talk. One of the most common questions was where she was from. Diamond had made up a story that her parents were architects from Manehattan, who had come to ponyville for inspiration in their latest building, which prompted a big discussion on everyone's favorite structures in Ponyville. More than half the assembled had voted Twilight's castle as the most beautiful and Diamond agreed with them.

"Can you imagine seeing a building exactly like Princess Twilight's castle in Manehatten?" Twist had asked as she passed out peppermint sticks to everypony. She had slid two to Diamond Tiara with a wink.

"With the influence my parents have, I wouldn't be at all surprised" Diamond had boasted as she bit into one of the sticks, and shivered with delight at the taste.

Having mostly stayed by herself at recess, with the exception of Silver Spoon, Diamond was amazed by the amount of friendship she had been shown today, and she felt unbelievably happy. It felt she had found a part of her that she never knew she had been missing. And she never, _ever_ wanted to lose it again. Smiling dreamily as she walked down the path, she didn't hear Sweetie Bell calling her name until the filly was standing in front of her.

"Hey Crystal!" She shouted, causing Diamond to jump.

"W-what? What is it? What's wrong?" She squeaked, causing Sweetie to giggle.

"Settle down silly!" Diamond turned to see Scootaloo and Applebloom standing behind her.

"We were wondering if you'd like to come to our clubhouse to hang out" Applebloom smiled at her, then seemed to catch herself. "That is, if you have the time" She added sheepishly.

Diamond was surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah, for real" Scootaloo nodded.

Diamond was a little unsure what to think. Sure the crusaders didn't know who she really was, but still, it felt strange to have them be so open with her, especially after she had spent so much time teasing them in the past. But still, they had made the offer freely, and Diamond felt it would be suspicious if she didn't go. "Um…okay. Sure" She finally said. The Crusaders cheered and led the way to the clubhouse, which was located on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. When they got to the farm, the Crusaders playfully made a big fuss about blindfolding Diamond Tiara to 'protect the secret location' of the clubhouse before taking her there. They had even spun her around once or twice, making Diamond laugh. _This is so amazing!_ Diamond thought as she was led there by Sweetie Belle. _I should have made friends like the Crusaders a long time ago!_ She squealed with pure happiness.

"Crystal, are you okay?" She heard Sweetie Belle ask.

"What? Oh, yes, I'm fine Sweetie Belle." Diamond replied as she felt the filly come to a stop. "In fact, I don't think I've ever felt better in my whole life" She added in a low voice. There was a rustle, and the blindfold was lifted off.

"Ta da!" The crusaders grandly gestured to their clubhouse.

Diamond smirked on the inside, recalling that she had already seen the clubhouse many times before. But she decided to play along and gave a dramatic gasp of amazement. "Wow! That looks amazing! Can I go in?"

"Of course you can!" The crusaders cheered, leading her up the ramp. The inside looked the same as she remembered, except for two charts on one wall. One was blank, the other was full of images that had been X'd out. On top of them both was the Crusader's symbol, a blue shield with a yellow filly inside.

"So, you called yourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders, right?" Diamond asked when they were all inside. "What exactly do you do?" She fought to hide the smirk building on her face, expecting some long speech about the 'great crusade the fillies were on in search of their cutie marks', or something like that.

"Oh nothing much" Applebloom giggled

"Yeah, we just sit around all day, trying to find new ways to get our cutie marks" Scootaloo explained, sniggering.

"And get into all sorts of trouble along the way!" Sweetie finished, laughing aloud. Diamond laughed too, recalling all the mischief that the Crusaders had caused.

"Wow. You three are…really lucky" Diamond admitted, and was surprised to realize that she actually meant it.

"We are?" The crusaders gasped. Apparently they were just as surprised to hear it.

"Well yeah, you get to explore all these options, learning who you really are before you get stuck with a mark you don't understand." Diamond glanced at her own cutie mark as she spoke. Even though she couldn't see the tiara on her flank, she could picture it there. Ever since it had appeared, Diamond thought she knew who she was and what she was meant to be, but when Silver Spoon had turned her back on her after the election, Diamond had begun to realize how wrong she had been. Her mind flashed back to her cute-cenera, where she had made fun of Applebloom's blank flank, only for her and the crusaders to userp her attention at her own party. An idea formed in her mind and she kept speaking. "And what's more, since you don't have your marks yet, there's no telling what you could be. The possibilities are…like, endless, and you have all the time in the world to figure it out." She smiled at the memory, which suddenly seemed really funny.

"Wow" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared at her, wide-eyed. But Applebloom's face was twisted into a thoughtful frown. Diamond suddenly felt nervous when the filly looked up at her and narrowed her eyes. Had she said too much?

"Applebloom, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just, what you said reminded me of…Diamond Tiara" Applebloom answered. Diamond felt a stab of fear at the mention of her name. "W-who's Diamond Tiara?" She stammered, trying to keep her face still.

"She's one of our classmates. She wasn't in school today." Sweetie explained.

 _Oh, I know._ Diamond said to herself. Aloud she said "Oh, I hope she's okay"

"Oh she's probably fine. It's just…" Applebloom paused. "What you said, about being stuck with a mark you don't understand, it reminded me of her because she was always teasing us about us not having our cutie marks." Diamond stiffened, and glanced down at the floor.

"Yeah, she kept going on and on about how special her cutie mark was, and how she was so much better than everypony else." Scootaloo added, doing a horrible imitation of her that made Diamond frown in anger, but then her heart sank and her ears drooped as she realized Scootaloo was right. She had been just like that and more.

"But lately…" Sweetie Bell paused. "I don't know how to explain it, but we've been getting the feeling maybe she's just saying those things to make herself feel better"

Diamond lifted her head to look at Sweetie Belle. "What makes you say that?"

Sweetie opened her mouth to continue, but then paused. "Uh, maybe we shouldn't be talking about this right now." She suggested. "Let's talk about something else instead"

"No" Diamond shook her head firmly. "I want to hear the rest of this." She insisted. "Don't worry, I promise I won't tell anypony what you told me. I'm good at keeping secrets." _I ought to be._ Diamond thought as the crusaders glanced at each other. _I've been keeping my true feelings a secret for this long_

Sweetie finally shrugged before continuing. "Well, yesterday, our school was holding elections for student class president and Diamond was running against a foal named Pipsqueak, and she lost. She didn't even get a single vote."

"Really?" Diamond gasped dramatically, but inside she felt nothing but grief.

"Yeah, even her best friend, a filly named Silver Spoon, voted against her." Scootaloo added, not noticing Diamond wince as she remembered her BF's betrayal.

"You don't say" She squeaked, hoping her cracked voice didn't give away anything.

"And after she lost the election and stormed off, we got worried about her. I mean, just because she had never cared about anypony else's feelings, didn't mean we shouldn't care about hers. So we followed her, and then we saw her mother yelling at her". Applebloom finished. Diamond made a face in an effort to keep from crying.

"That's when we realized that we judged her wrong. The bitter and boastful Diamond Tiara we knew wasn't really her at all; it was the result of her upbringing." Scootaloo spoke up next, causing Diamond to visibly stiffen.

"We knew then that she wanted to change, but she just didn't know how, and… are you okay? Sweetie asked, noticing that Diamond was quietly sobbing, tears running down her face. When she glanced up again, her eyes were big and moist. She had no idea that the crusaders felt this way about her. _That must have been why they were following me yesterday! They didn't want to rub my face in the dirt, they just wanted to help me!_ Diamond felt herself smile, despite her tears

"Crystal, what's the matter?" Abblebloom asked, looking concerned.

"I-I know exactly what Diamond Tiara's going through" Diamond confessed, as she lay down on the floor of the clubhouse.

"You do?" The crusaders asked unanimously.

Diamond nodded. "My family comes from rich pony society as well. And they sometimes seem to care more about their social status than they do about me. At least…my mother does. My father's not that bad" Diamond felt a small smile flicker across her face as she thought of her father. Sure he could be just as air-headed as her mother was, but she had seen his kind and caring nature deep down. "But I understand what she's going through. She probably feels alone, and confused, and maybe a little hurt too."

"Wow, Crystal. That sounds so harsh the way you talk about it" Sweetie Belle glanced at her hooves. Diamond nodded sadly.

"That's it!" Applebloom suddenly exclaimed. Everypony stared at her.

"What's it?"

"That's how we can help Diamond Tiara! It sounds like she could use some friends, well we can give her some new friends right now!" Applebloom explained.

"What?" Diamond exclaimed, feeling her eyes widen. Was Applebloom offering to become Diamond Tiara's friend? Diamond barely dared hope that it could be possible!

"That's a great idea!" Sweetie smiled.

"And you can come too Crystal!"Scootaloo suggested.

"What?" Diamond leapt to her hooves, feeling panic shoot through her.

Scootaloo smiled at her. "Yeah! She'll love having a new friend from Equestria's elite who's been though the same problems she's having"

"But…I…No! Wait, I…" Diamond stammered, but the sound of the three crusaders cheering and leaping to their hooves drowned her out.

"C'mon Crusaders, let's go find her!" Scootaloo crowed as the threesome charged out of the clubhouse, leaving a worried Diamond Tiara in their wake.

"On no! Girls wait!" Diamond cried out as she charged onto the balcony. "WAIT! THERE'S SOMETHING I HAVE TO TELL YOU!" She cried out as she charged down the ramp and ran after the three fillies. "Come back!

* * *

 **Well! How are we doing so far? Enjoying the show? Be sure to let me know!**


	3. Chapter 3

Tang Ri Shan

 **Be Somepony Else**

 **(Inspired by the songs sung during the Crusaders of the Lost Mark Episode, this story follows the same plot)**

 **CH 3**

"Where…are you girls even…going?" Diamond asked as she chased the Crusaders through the streets of Ponyville. "Do you even know where Diamond Tiara is? You said she wasn't at school today!"

"Don't worry, we'll find her!" Scootaloo called over her shoulder. Diamond winced. _I'm not worried about that, I'm worried about what will happen after that!_ She thought, even her mind seemed scared of how the Crusaders would react if they knew the truth.

"Where should be start?" She heard Sweetie ask

"Let's start at the school" Applebloom suggested. "Miss Cheerilee may know why she wasn't there today." With that, the crusaders sped up, leaving Diamond struggling to catch up.

 _What am I going to do now?_ Diamond thought, her mind beginning to fog over with panic as she ran. _I can't just tell them! They'd never believe me! They'd laugh at me…or worse!_ But just then, she saw movement in the corner of her eye. _Quicksilver?_ She wondered, wrenching her head around, certain she had seen the silver unicorn staring at her, but when she looked again, there was nopony there. But Quicksilver's gaze caused Diamond to have a sudden burst of courage. _No! I need to tell them, before things get any more difficult!_ "Girls, hang on a second!" Diamond called ahead, but the girls didn't seem to hear her. By this point, they had passed through most of Ponyville and Diamond could see the school up ahead. "Girls, stop!" She yelled, but the Crusaders were now busy chatting amongst themselves and didn't answer her. Annoyed now, Diamond put on a burst of speed and dashed past the three fillies. Reaching a fork in the road, she skidded to a halt, and then whirled around to face them. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS STOP!" She screamed, holding up a hoof. The crusaders skidded to a stop, their eyes wide in surprise. "Please, just…listen to me…for a minute!" She panted.

"Okay! Okay! We're listening. What is it?" Scootaloo cocked her head.

Diamond took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and spoke. "There's no need for you to go looking for Diamond Tiara"

"What? Why not?" Sweetie asked

"Because…because she's right in front of you" Diamond confessed, bracing herself for the emotional hurricane to come. "I'm Diamond Tiara" She squeaked, and shut her eyes, and waited.

Nothing happened.

After 30 seconds of silence, a strange noise made Diamond crack open her eyes. She saw the Crusaders were all making funny faces that looked like they were trying to hold something in. As Diamond lifted her head, all three of them burst out laughing.

"Ha Ha! Very funny Crystal!" Scootaloo chortled.

"It's true! I _am_ Diamond Tiara!"

"Sure, and _I'm_ Princess Celestia" Scootaloo rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious! It's really me!" Diamond exclaimed, but she could see that the Crusaders weren't listening.

"Prove it" Applebloom demanded, smirking.

Diamond smirked back at her. "Okay, Applebloom. Do you remember when Diamond Tiara was teasing you during that class we had about cutie marks? What did she do?"

Applebloom's smile faded. "Uh…. Oh yeah, she passed me a note and Miss Cheerilee caught me"

"And do you remember what the note said?" Diamond demanded.

"Uh…no, ah don't." Applebloom frowned.

"That's becuase it didn't say anything. The note was blank. And then Diamond Tiara said 'remind you of any pony'? Remember that?"

Applebloom's eyes widened "Yeah, but how did you know...?"

"And remember when the three of you first became the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was at Diamond Tiara's Cute-cenera. You tried to hide your blank flank by covering it with a sheet. Then Sweetie Belle said that the lack of a cutie mark meant that you were full of potential and Scootaloo said it meant you could be great at anything. And then she said it meant she wasn't stuck being stuck up like…like me" Diamond's ears drooped and the fire went out of her eyes as she saw the Crusaders glance at each other, confused. "And you know what, you were right. I _was_ stuck being a stuck up snob. I was raised to believe that I was better than anypony else because my parents were so wealthy. My mother taught me to believe that position was more important than friendship. But after I saw how the three of you banded together and were able to outshine me at my own party, I started wondering if my mother was wrong. Maybe friendship _is_ more important than position. But it took Silver Spoon turning against me to make me realize that _nothing_ is more important than friendship. I found myself all alone, and it was scary. I never want to feel that way again, never!" Diamond felt tears come to her eyes and she felt powerless to stop them. "It's true what they say, 'life's no fun with a party of one!'" Diamond Tiara's voce broke and she simply stood there, tears flowing down her face.

For a while, nopony spoke. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked at each other, confused. But Applebloom stepped forward, a smile on her face.

"Crystal, ah can understand you've been through a lot, but…"

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" Everyone jumped and glanced up as Pipsqueak appeared out of nowhere, followed closely by Silver Spoon, Snips, and Snails. All four ponies were out of breath.

"What's wrong?" Sweetie asked, noticing the nervousness on their faces.

"Have-have any of you seen Diamond Tiara anywhere?" Silver Spoon asked.

Diamond opened her mouth, but Scootaloo beat her to it. "No, we haven't, why?"

"Well apparently..." Pipsqueak paused to take another breath "She's gone missing!"

"She's missing?" The crusaders gasped.

"Yeah, her mother came by the school board meeting to pick up her daughter" Snails began "And when she learned she hadn't been there all day, she flew into _such_ a rage! It was super scary to watch, and…"

Snips shot Snails a look before continuing "Apparently Diamond left her house for school this morning, but never arrived. It was like she vanished into thin air!"

"Oh, I hope she's okay" Silver Spoon whined, she was practically trotting on the spot, her face a mask of fear and guilt. "What if something's happened to her?" Diamond felt a small smile come to her lips despite herself. _Silver still cares for me after all!_ Her heart seemed to swell with joy.

"Miss Cheerilee is asking everypony to help find her. We could use your help" Pipsqueak finished, then paused, waiting for a response, but the three Crusaders were staring at each other, wide eyed. Slowly, they turned their gazed towards Diamond Tiara, who slowly nodded her head, returning their gazes steadily even though she felt like melting into the ground beneath her. Three pony jaws seemed to hit the floor.

"No way!" Scootaloo was the first to recover, shaking her head.

"It can't be!" Sweetie exclaimed, taking a step backwards.

"It ain't possible" Applebloom shook her head, she was gazing at Diamond nervously, like she was afraid the filly might suddenly run up and attack her.

"What are you three muttering about?" Silver Spoon demanded. "We have to go find Diamond Tiara!"

"Yeah…about that…" Abblebloom started

"Crystal was just telling us…" Sweetie added

"That she's actually Diamond Tiara in disguise" Scootaloo finished. Snips, Snails, Pipsqueak, and Silver Spoon all glanced at each other, then at Diamond, who held their gaze unflinchingly, even though her legs felt like jelly.

"What?" Pipsqueak finally stammered. "B-but how can that be!"

"I don't believe it!" Snips shook his head. "Crystal Crown was so nice to all of us. Diamond Tiara was never more than a bully!"

"Yeah!" Snails added. "Crystal's nothing like Diamond! She's way better than her!"

Diamond felt her jaw drop and her eyes moisten again. "Y-you really think…?" Diamond couldn't even finish the sentence. Her legs gave way beneath her and she lay down on the road and began to cry quietly. She couldn't stop the tears from coming, like Snips and Snail's words had broken open an aquaduct of misery. And what made it even worse was her silent admission that they were right. Diamond _had_ been nothing more than a bully, to almost every pony in her class. She should have expected this, but it still hurt her to hear it.

"Crystal, are you okay?" She felt a hoof on her shoulder and was slowly helped to her feet by Pipsqueak and Sweetie Belle. Her gaze rested on Silver Spoon, who had an expression of anger and confusion on her face.

"I'm sorry" Diamond sobbed, taking a shaky step towards her best friend. "I know that probably doesn't mean much right now, but I'm really sorry for the way I treated you during the election. If I had just allowed you to speak, maybe none of this would have happened. I was wrong, to put my social standing before my friends. Nothing is more important than friendship, I see that now" By now, she was standing right in front of her friend and she raised her hoof. "Bump" She tapped Silver's leg. "Bump" she tapped Silver's hoof. "Sugarlump" She folded her leg and nudged her friend gently. "Rump" She turned and nudged Silver with her tail. Without waiting to see what her friend would do, she lowered her head and slowly began to walk away, feeling tears threaten to spill out once again.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T FOUND HER?!" Everypony froze as they heard yelling coming from the school. Diamond winced as she recognized her mother's voice.

"What's going on?" Applebloom asked.

Snips frowned "Sounds like Diamond's mother is still ranting"

"Yeah, she was yelling at Cheerille when we left." Snails added. "I think she blames her for Diamond's disappearance"

Diamond gasped, and then snorted as she felt a jolt of rage surge through her. Her feet moved on their own accord and she spun around and charged towards the school.

"Crystal!" She heard Pipsqueak call out and the sound of hoofbeats behind her told her they were chasing after her. _Fine! Let them come! I don't care anymore!_

"When I heard that my daughter had gone missing, I came over here expecting to see that she had been returned, and instead I find out that no pony has seen her all day!" Diamond's mother ranted from the steps of the school as Diamond arrived. "This is what I get for allowing my daughter to mingle with insignificant lowlifes!"

"What did she just call us?" Diamond heard Sweetie Belle whisper to Scootaloo.

"Nothing good, I'll bet" Scootaloo replied in a growl.

Cheerilee stepped forward, a look of concern on her face. "I promise you Miss Rich, we are doing everything we can to find your daughter"

Diamond's mother frowned, as if she was appalled that Cheerilee was even speaking to her. "Well, that's obviously not good enough, now is it? It's _your_ responsibility to see to it your students are safe! Are you saying you can't even do that, you sad excuse for a teacher?!"

There was a collective gasp. Cheerilee seemed to shrink down under the pony's insults and Diamond's father stepped forward. "Dearest, I understand you're worried about Diamond. I am too, but really, what good will come from insulting our daughter's teacher?"

"Clearly you have been blinded by the same lack of sense that has corrupted our daughter!" Her mother snapped and her father blinked at if he had been hit in the face. "I've told you and Diamond time and again that socializing with _these_ ponies is not how one moves up in Equestria! As soon as we find Diamond, I am going to enroll her in another school, one with ponies of our _own_ class!" There was another gasp. Diamond's father looked shocked and Diamond felt faint. _She…she wouldn't!_ She thought desperately, but she saw her mother's face and knew that she was serious as she glanced at the assembled crowd. "Is there ANY pony here with enough sense to find my daughter?" She screamed.

Diamond felt her anger rise again. Her mother couldn't do this to her! Not after she had finally discovered true happiness! She wouldn't let her! "I know where Diamond Tiara is!" She announced, marching forward as ponies parted around her.

Her mother turned to face her, eyeing her critically as she approached. "Oh really, and where is she?"

"Sorry" Diamond gave her mother the meanest glare that she could. "I'm not allowed to say"

Diamond's parents gasped and her mother's eyes widened in surprise, than narrowed in disgust. "How _dare_ you! You ungrateful urchin! You will tell me where my daughter is, or I'll…"

"Or you'll what?" Diamond shrilled, cutting her mother off. "What will you do? Besides, it's not like you've ever taken an interest in Diamond before!"

"Crystal, what are you doing?" Diamond heard some pony call from the circle around them, but her ears were so full of buzzing anger she couldn't make out who it was.

" _Excuse_ me?" Her mother gasped, her face livid.

"You heard me!" Diamond continued. "You've spent your entire life acting like a high horse and raising your daughter to follow in your hoofprints. She thought that was fine at first, but now she finally realizes that what she truly wants is something your teachings could never give her, friends!" There was a collective gasp as Diamond pointed a hoof at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. "Friends like the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who have worked harder to find out who they are than any pony I know! When they eventually do discover their talents, I know that it'll be amazing! Or Silver Spoon, who never lose sight of what's important, even when Diamond Tiara herself did. I know that Diamond would do anything to repair her friendship with Silver Spoon I also know that Diamond Tiara would be honored to consider the Crusaders her friends too…if they'll have her, that is" Diamond shot a smile at the crusaders who were staring at her, wide eyed and jaws wide open. Silver Spoon, standing just behind them, had a smile on her face.

"What? My daughter would never socialize with those blank flanks" Diamond felt herself physically stiffen at her mother's scoffing tone.

"Don't call them that! Don't you dare call them such mean and hurtful names!" Diamond spun around, stuck her face forward until she and her mother were nose to nose.

"Ahem, excuse me" Diamond turned to see her father approaching. "Crystal, is it?" She asked "How do you know these things about our daughter? Did she tell them to you?"

"Not exactly" Diamond smiled at the confusion on her father's face.

"Then how? And please, can you tell me where she is now? My wife and I are worried about her safety. Even though we often do not show it, our daughter means the world to us." Seeing the pure concern on her father's face, Diamond felt part of her anger begin to fade away.

Turning to face her father, she asked. "Does she really mean the world to you?"

Her father slowly nodded, a small smile on his muzzle. He seemed genuinely concerned. Diamond glanced back at her mother and saw her frown, but there was emotion in her eyes as well, concern and confusion had replaced some of the disgust and hatred.

Diamond took a deep breath to steady herself. _It's time_! She told herself and reached up with a hoof for the charm at her neck. "You want Diamond Tiara back?" She asked aloud as she worked the necklace up over her head, she let it fall to the ground in front of her with a clatter. As soon as the crystal touched the ground, it began to glow. A ring of white light appeared around Diamond's feet and slowly traveled upward. As it moved, it turned her blue skin pink, and her mane into purple and white. She closed her eyes as the ring moved past her face, then there was a bright flash and the light disappeared. She could her gasps and cries of recognition as she opened her eyes. "Here she is" She said to her father, who looked like he was in shock. "And as for you mother, I'm going to say this very clearly" She turned to face her mother, who cringed. "Leave. My. Friends. Alone!" She emphasized each word by taking a step forward in her direction. "Understand?" Her mother nodded, suddenly unable to speak. "Good" Diamond smiled.

"Diamond, how did you…?" Pipsqueak asked. Diamond smiled and picked up the charm with a hoof.

"With this." She announced, holding the charm out for everypony to see. "It's a glamour charm; I used it to change my appearance" She froze as her father stepped forward, a stern look on her face, and she felt the charm slip from her hoof and fall back to the ground.

"Well Diamond, no doubt you have a perfectly good explanation for doing that" Diamond opened her mouth, but froze when her father raised a hoof to stop her. "…which your mother and I would be glad to hear over dinner tonight. Right now though, I believe your new friends have some questions they would like to ask you" Her father glanced at the other ponies, then back at his daughter, and smiled. "So, we will see you at home tonight at the usual time, agreed?" He held out a hoof.

Diamond glance at her father, but then smiled as she realized what he meant and slapped his hoof. "Agreed" As her father nodded at her, Diamond suddenly caught sight of the wrecked playground, and a thought crossed her mind. "Um…father? Can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course" Her father lowered his head and Diamond whispered her idea in his ear. He straightened, looked thoughtful for a moment, than nodded. "I believe that can be arranged."

Diamond felt her jaw drop. "What? You're agreeing just like that?"

Her father snorted and his face adopted a look of mock surprise. "I'm wealthy, not heartless" He smiled at his daughter. "I'll see you at home then" With that, he started walking away from the school. "Coming dearest?" He asked as he passed his wife, who had not moved or spoken. She still seemed in shock.

"I…I…I" She stammered.

Diamond watched her father chuckle to himself, place a hoof around his wife and start to lead her placidly away. "Come my dear, let us get a nice cold glass of…something, and let our daughter have some time with her friends." Winking back at her, Diamond's father escorted his wife back towards town. "I think she's earned it, don't you?"

Watching her parents move away, Diamond felt a rush of satisfaction and she closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of her success.

"D-diamond Tiara?" Diamond opened her eyes and turned to see Silver Spoon standing behind her, her eyes moist, which made Diamond Tear up as well.

"Silver Spoon." She smiled at her best friend.

"I'm sorry for what I said!"

"I'm sorry for what I did!"

Both girls paused after they blurted out their feelings, then they suddenly rushed forward and hugged each other, tears flowing freely.

"I'm sorry for what I said to you!" Silver sobbed into Diamond's shoulder.

"And _I'm_ sorry for everything I did to you." Diamond gave her friend a squeeze" To all of you" She added, glancing up at the ponies who surrounded them. "But I want you to know, I will never do anything like that to you ever again. _Never!_ "

"That's quite the commitment you're making, Diamond Tiara" Cheerilee reminded her, almost teasingly. "Are you sure you can keep it?"

"I _know_ I can keep it" Diamond smiled as she stepped away from Silver Spoon and faced her classmates. "And...I'm sorry for deceiving everypony. For the longest time, I've wished that I could be somepony else. The old Diamond Tiara, the rude and snobbish bully that you all knew, that wasn't who I really was. I wanted to change, but I…didn't know how. I was afraid that no pony would give a chance because…because I thought you wouldn't be able to see past what you thought of me" Diamond pointed with a hoof to the crystal on the ground. "This glamour charm gave me chance to live my dream, to cast off my old image and show you who I really was."

"So you're basically saying you tricked us into hanging out with you all day because we didn't know who you really were?" Scootaloo frowned.

Diamond winced, and then lowered her head, ears drooping. "Well, yeah I guess. I'm sorry. I just wanted you to see the real me"

"Well…." Applebloom paused, then smiled in a teasing way. "I guess it worked then, didn't it? What do y'all think of the new Diamond Tiara?" She asked the assembled, who responded with cheers.

Diamond glanced up and around at the ponies who were all smiling at her. "Y-you mean you're not angry at me?"

"Of course we aren't angry at you, silly!" Silver Spoon chided, before giving Diamond a friendly nudge

"But did you _really_ have to disguise yourself like that just to prove to us that you were capable of changing?" Sweetie Belle asked. "The three of us wanted to help you, but you pushed us away"

"I didn't know you wanted to help. I thought you were just going to rub it in my face." Diamond confessed, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Well, at least it's all over now" Applebloom sighed.

"Well, not exactly" Diamond smiled. "Ever since I got my cutie mark, I've realized my talent _is_ convincing ponies to do what I want, so I convinced my father to donate the money for the new playground equipment!" A chorus of cheers rose up in response to this and Diamond's smile grew wider. "What do you think, Mr. President? Think you can handle it?" She winked at Pipsqueak, who looked surprised, then nodded, smiling widely

"No problem, _if_ I can get a little help" He winked back at Diamond, who felt a warm feeling bubble up from her chest and before she knew it, she was singing.

" _We'll build a playground for all of us to enjoy!_

 _So full of games there's enough for each girl and boy!"_

Diamond mounted the steps of the school as she sang " _I wanna help and do everything that I can!_

 _I wanna show you a change! Listen Up! Here's the plan!"_ Everypony gathered around as Diamond explained what she had in mind.

All too soon, a large unicorn in blue coveralls appeared on the road from town, using his magic to pull along a card piled high with boxes and crates.

He set them down, nodded to her, and then headed off while the students helped unpack the boxes. As Diamond helped Pipsqueak decide what went where, she felt the warm feeling get stronger and stronger.

" _There's so much more that I can do_

 _To help everypony else!_

 _I see the light that shines in me_

 _I know I can be my better self!"_ She sang as she helped construct a merry go round and a teeter-totter and a tetherball tower.

" _I can free the past_

 _Because the future is bright for me!_

 _My cutie mark has set me free_

 _To do what's right, and be the pony I wanna be!"_ Diamond suddenly noticed Silver Spoon having trouble setting up a fence and rushed over to help her, earning a smile in return.

Eventually the playground was finished and everyone was amazed by it. Even Princess Twilight had flown over from her castle to admire it.

" _To be the pony I wanna be"_ Diamond sang from the top of the slide tower before sliding down the slide to the ground. She landed next to Silver Spoon, nudged her playfully, and c crowd of her classmates surrounded her, chatting happily.

"You know Diamond, I think you got your wish after all." Silver Spoon commented. Seeing Diamond's confused look, she added. "You may still look the same as you did before, but you are _definitely_ some pony else now"

"Ah agree!"

"Indeed!"

"Hear Hear!" The crusaders agreed, smiling at her.

Diamond felt a smile come over her face as well, and sighed happily, basking in the warmth of all those smiles."Thanks everypony. I guess you're right. I did become some pony else after all"

THE END

* * *

 **Well, that's it! I actually meant for this to be a one-shot, but I don't think it falls under that category now! Still, I've been working on it all week and I'm quite pleased with it. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **Until next time!**


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